Mons Abbey Blonde | Brasserie Belgh Brasse

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Reviews by Krakpoff:

More User Reviews:

Have to say I'm Disappointed. Beer is Too boozy overall, and not nearly sour/tart enough. There is Too much carbonation, yet the head lasts nano seconds followed by minimal lacing. Meh.

I know this beer is a blonde-attempt, so maybe not the place to discuss but man oh man -- I really wish we could nail a trad Belgian lambic sour in canada so I could get it unpasteurized at a local pub.

This ale has no problem of being expressive, flavors seem to stick to the palate for a while. Within the style and not short of nuances, with each sip another flavor become prominent on the palate. Out taste buds are saying the brewmaster from Belgium is doing well crafting this beer for North America.

Was looking for a Belgian at the Beer Store, couldn't find the usuals, Rochefort, Chimay, La Trappe, or even Leffe let alone Houblon Chouffe. Looked and smelled the part. Big and slightly out of control finely bubbled head as appropriate to the style. Taste was not what I wanted at all, compared to the beers I mentioned. Overly sweet, and lacking the fruit clove ester and phenol that I had been hoping for.

Pours an effervescent, bright golden-copper color, with thin sparkling white head that had poor retention. Sizable hunks of suspended sediment largely disappeared in the pour but were plainly visible lining the bottom of te snifter a bit later. Limited lacing.

Purchased at The Beer Store 750ml bottle for $7.00. Served at 4deg C in a draught glass

A- Very good. Opens well and pours with a ton of white head that lasts. Golden blonde and unfiltered

S- Excellent! Has that yeasty Belgium taste.

T- Hard to believe this is made in Canada. Would think this is an import for sure. Super high smoke flavor compared to others off shore. Ton of carbonation. Lots of smooth sipping ability. Quality flavor

M- Very carbonated. Lots of traditional sweet sickly linger

O- Very good. Will buy from time to time. Not worth cellaring though

Food Pairing

This nice blonde goes well with... Sushi. You gotta try this girl with a nice shot of wasabi and California roll

Bottle: Poured a murky beige color ale with a generous off-white foamy head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma consists of semi-sweet Belgian malt with good notes of bready ester from the yeast strain. Taste is also dominated by some semi-sweet notes of honey and sweet flavoured Belgian malt with some light dry and flora hoppy notes and a spicy and bready yeast strain which carries lot of weight. Body is quite full with great carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Easily drinkable while retaining some complexity makes for a very enjoyable beer.

Overall: Very impressed considering the source. The fact that this is commonly available in grocery stores makes it a good springboard for the uninitiated. Good price and good representation of the style.

Poured cold into a Belgian tulip glass
Two finger white head fades to a white ring, golden blond clear body.
Smell of european hops.
Spices, malt sweetness,caramel and banana bread.
The carbonation combines with the malts and coats your tongue with a sort of cereal milkshake of tasty foam. The 7% abv is well hidden.
Make a nice change from a Leffe Blonde. A great beer for autumn and winter.

750 mL corked-and-caged bottle picked up at a London, ON TBS; coded K3333. Served slightly chilled.

Pours an effervescent, hazy, bright golden-yellow colour, with over three fingers of puffy, sparkling white head erupting at the surface. Excellent retention; it recedes slowly and unevenly over a period of more than five minutes, producing a lumpy, pillowy marshmallow fluff look. Tons of sticky, webbed lacing. This is a gorgeous Belgian blonde. The aroma isn't quite as stellar, but it's definitely appropriate for the style - grainy pale malts, some grassiness, citric lemon zest and a peppery coriander spice, with some hints of ripe orchard fruit.

The flavour profile is somewhat sweeter than I would have guessed from the nose. Grainy malts, candi sugar and apricot are featured, with ripe pear and red appleskin coming through alongside a bready, almost nutty note mid-sip. The hops come off rather grassy, providing a relatively neutral bitterness toward the tail end. Fairly yeasty, with mild notes of clove, sarsaparilla and peppercorn at the finish. Finishes off-dry, with a hint of ethanol. On the heftier side of medium-bodied and with crisp carbonation that gradually softens, giving the mouthfeel a nice, fulfilling smoothness. It becomes even more enjoyable to sip as it approaches cellar/room temperature.

Final Grade: 4.01, a solid A-. Mons Abbey Blonde is legitimately one of the better Belgian-style pale ales I've tried. I generally prefer strong BPAs like Duvel or Don de Dieu over these lighter equivalents, but this is still a very well-made example of a basic, straightforward Belgian pale. It offers up an approachable mixture of grainy sweetness, yeasty esters and mild booziness that will do a nice job of warming you up on a cold night. It's easily one of the better things I've picked up at The Beer Store in recent memory; definitely worth a shot, and something I'd purchase again if it were available locally.

Look: foggy golden color with a finger of white head. Looks really carbonated. After a moment the head fade away.

Smell: Citrus, orange peel.

Taste: Orange, apple and some banana. The hop is really present.

Feel: Pretty refreshing even if it's a 7% ABV, you don't really taste the alcohol and it goes down really easily. No alcohol burn at all. The dirty finish.

So overall would I recommend? Yes its ok, it's not a great beer but its a good beer. And for the price my expectation was high. Would I bought it again? Sure if it's on special but I won't for the price is paid..